June 12th Press Conference - Illinois and the U.S. are losing an estimated $9.5 billion in future tax revenue, as tens of thousands of out-of-school youth who lack a high school diploma can’t find work. Today a news conference with U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL); U.S. Representative Robin Kelly (D-2); Cook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer (D-10); and Chicago Ald. Patrick O'Connor (Ward 40) addressed findings in the report The High Costs for Out of School & Jobless Youth in Chicago and Cook County.

The Cook County Board’s Workforce, Housing and Community Development Committee, chaired by Commissioner Bridget Gainer will hold a hearing on the crisis of joblessness among the county’s low-income and minority youth. Triggered by the University of Illinois Chicago’s Great Cities Institute report, Lost: The Crisis of Jobless and Out Of School Teens and Young Adults in Chicago, Illinois and the U.S., the hearing examines new data from the Institute that pulls out statistics for Cook County comparable to those in the report. The University of Chicago Crime Lab will present its findings showing a correlation between summer youth employment and reduced violence.